Shared a dinner order with someone from the hostel.
Day 157 (Q9):
Ice cream
100 ARS
Total:
1.29 USD (RMB 9.1)
Really getting the hang of ordering food online.
Day 158 (Q10):
Asado
600 ARS
Total:
7.74 USD (RMB 54.6)
I guess Sunday’s are asado days. The mood in the hostel is considerable more sombre than the previous week and only half as many people share in the food.
Day 159 (Q11):
No expenses.
Day 160 (Q12):
Uber
60
Airbnb (15 nights)
500 + 119.22 USD
Hamburger
320
Total:
130.57 USD (RMB 920.4)
This was supposed to be the last day of the quarantine, which was extended through Easter. Fortunately, I ganged up with a couple of other travelers in the hostel to share a house booked through Airbnb. This was necessary because the hostel had told us both that they were going to raise the rates on us and close down for a week, effectively kicking everyone out.
The last day before an expected nationwide travel shut down cast a somber mood over the city, but I managed to go out for one last restaurant meal. The restaurant I wanted to go to was already shuttered, but I still was able to splurge on a barbecue set of three cuts of meat. Returning to the hostel, I was notified that I and the only other remaining guest were to be transferred to a sister hostel within the hour. In the evening, the president of Argentina makes an address and announces the entire country will be on lockdown as of midnight.
Day 149 (Q1):
Groceries
790
Salad
30
Total:
820 ARS (10.58 USD) (RMB 74.8)
Though the nation is on quarantine, not much seems to have changed in the street as I make one trip out to stock up on food at the Chinese-ran supermarket, which had full shelves and zero customers. Quite the contrast to the scenes of panic in supermarkets from the morning news. There was a police checkpoint on a main road with 30+ machine gun armed officers checking drivers in both directions.
Day 150 (Q2):
Hostel Extension (8 nights?)
2800
Empanadas
420
Total:
3220 ARS (41.55 USD) (RMB 293.9)
I had booked accommodation at the hostel through Sunday, at which time I planned to possibly move to an Airbnb. With the nationwide lockdown, all the Airbnb listings were removed from the website, so I missed my opportunity. Fortunately, I was able to haggle with the hostel to keep a decent price on accommodation when they asked me to pay for the rest of the month. Considering I am getting a four-bed dorm (to myself) with a private patio and bathroom, it is a really good deal. I order empanadas online through the newly downloaded PedidosYa app, which is easy enough to use though substandard.
Day 151 (Q3):
Asado
500
Total:
500 ARS (6.45 USD) (RMB 45.6)
There are 10 guests in the hostel, and we pool our money to buy meat to grill up for Sunday lunch. There is wine, salad, and bread as well. I cook up a pot of ranchero beans, but no one eats them.
Day 152 (Q4):
No expenses incurred as I eat rice, beans, and some leftover meat. The hostel staff tells us we are to remain in our rooms. Apparently the other guests partied until 7am resulting in the police being called. Police do come by in the afternoon to check our documents and explain the quarantine rules to us (which are not nearly as strict as told in the morning).
Day 153 (Q5):
Subway Avocado Salad
300
Total:
300 ARS (3.87 USD) (RMB 27.4)
I eat left over rice for lunch and I order a salad from Subway on PedidosYa for dinner. I tip generously. Not enough lettuce but a generous amount of mashed avocado. Even with the tip, roughly the same price it would cost in China.
Day 154 (Q6):
Contact Solution
506
Groceries
1252+951-420
Beer
150
Total:
2439 ARS (31.47 USD) (RMB 222.6)
I get a chance to go outside and do some shopping (carrying a shopping list for a Spanish couple living at the hostel) because I desperately needed contact solution and coffee. I buy plenty of alcohol, but also break down and pay the hostel for an overpriced beer. The Chinese-run supermarket is closed, so I am stuck shopping at Carrefour.
This is one way to save money (17/day for the week), but I doubt I’ll ever get my daily average down to 20 bucks a day.
Finally back in a big enough city where I could buy some damn coffee beans. The drop in tourism is already very apparent with the hostel only 30% occupied. I luck into a room upgrade (4 bed -> 3 bed) with no roommates my first night.
Day 142:
Indian buffet
230
Ice cream
90
Personal recharge
200
Wine and Salami
295
Club soda
80
Total:
895 ARS (11.55 USD) (RMB 81.9)
The mood in Mendoza is starting to deteriorate as the international travelers are coming in from or heading off to Chile and rumors circulate about border closings. Nevertheless, Base Camp hostel maintains its regular nightly parties with free flow (headache inducing) wine and I end up going out to a nightclub for an hour or two. The nightclubs will be closed within a day or two.
Day 143:
Diet coke and potato chips
130
Coffee @ Brod
110
Asado in hostel
450
Total:
690 ARS (8.90 USD) (RMB 63.6)
My hangover was so bad, I couldn’t even be bothered to make coffee. In the cafe, pouring over a newspaper, the government is tightening border controls, but announces that schools will not be closed. The asado dinner, which is the only reason I am staying in this hostel, was slightly disappointing.
Day 144:
Fresh pasta
250
Dun Ken Coffee
100
Steak and salad
290
Total:
640 ARS (8.26 USD) (RMB 58.6)
It’s hard to tell if the city is quiet because of Coronavirus fears or just a normal Sunday where everything is shut down. I track down a cafe in the afternoon just to read the newspaper, which had a headline mentioning foreigners and hotels. The provincial government will impose mandatory quarantines on all persons entering Mendoza province. The tourist industry is already suffering major losses with hotel bookings down 80%. I cook a dinner with a fellow American in the hostel.
Day 145:
Campo Base (4 nights)
1450 + 1.46
Mendoza Inn (6 nights)
1530
HH Pint
100
Beers
660
Total:
49.72 USD (RMB 352.8)
Time to move to the fancier neighborhood with all the nice bars, restaurants, and cafes. So far nothing is closed, but the hostel only has about a dozen guests. I locked in a spectacular price for a dorm room. I go out for beers and papas with a couple of them that night. The bars have large dispensers of alcohol gel and some tables (all terrace seating) are closed to ensure social distancing. The border is closed, all international flights are cancelled.
Day 146:
Lunch Set
360
Six Pack IPAs
450
Total:
810 ARS (10.45 USD) (RMB 74.2)
Have a nice lunch, including drink (with choice of alcoholic drinks), main, and dessert. About a third of the guests leave the hostel, but a handful wander in, including a Czech girl who shared a potato and lentle soup with me. I patronize a Chinese-owned supermarket to help balance out global racism. About a quarter of the shops on Avenida Aristades decided to shut down and a group of police are monitoring the start of the bar street. A rather disappointing St Patricks Day, especially when I would have preferred to visit bodegas. It is announced that intercity travel will be halted in two days.
Day 147:
Salad
100
Buffet
240
Wine(s)
450
Total:
790 ARS (10.19 USD) (RMB 72.3)
Heading into downtown in search of a place to make a salad, the closures are much more obvious. Nevertheless, a handful of cafes, fast food joints, and ice cream parlors are carrying on. Another quarter of the establishments on Aristades have closed down. Hostel is refusing new guests. I make do with olives and a bag of potato chips for dinner. Everyone is making plans to leave, but that doesn’t stop the partying.
Having run out of coffee beans, my daily coffee expenses are significantly higher. The availability/quality of beans in supermarkets is depressingly low, and while unexpectedly I found two different gourmet coffee shops in which one could theoretically buy beans, both were effectively out of stock and waiting for a new shipment from their Buenos Aires-based roasters. The Airbnb was nice, but I moved back into a hostel to round out the last couple of days in Salta. Though not lacking any phone credit, I took advantage of an offer 250 MB free by charging .
Day 135:
Saeta bus card
120
Ice cream
130
Vea Supermarket
743
Total:
993 ARS (12.60 USD) (RMB 88.3)
I took a day drip over to the town of San Lorenzo and its “famous” quebrada (valley) for a couple of hours of hiking. I had to drop 70 pesos to purchase the bus card (more than the round trip of the bus) because my hostel didn’t have one available to borrow and I was assured that it was both cheap and a “good souvenir.”
I secured additional funding from Western Union at a less optimal rate than my last time getting cash. (New rate 77.5) Bought ingredients to make steak and chicken fajitas for dinner.
Day 136:
Remis (taxi) to terminal
130
Bus ticket to Catamarca
2150
Luggage handler
10
Total:
2290 ARS (29.06 USD) (RMB 203.7)
Technically, I should log this expenses under day 137 as they all occurred after midnight (a 1:30 am bus is not fun).
Day 137:
Luggage handler
10
Bus ticket to La Rioja
560
Coffee at terminal
110
Taxi
130
Wayra Hostel (2 nights)
900
Changomas burgers
428
Total:
2138 ARS (27.59 USD) (RMB 193.4)
My friend whom I was planning to visit bailed on me, prompting me to buy a ticket onward to the next town about as soon as I arrived in dusty, little San Fernando del Valle de Catamarca. La Rioja wasn’t much better with the new terminal a solid 3-4 km outside of town and an afternoon temperature of 39 degrees. Sleep La Rioja takes a siesta from 1pm to 6pm, with businesses not even opening back up until closer to 7 or 8pm. Luckily, I found Changomas, which is a Wal-Mart owned brand in Latin America and looks like a Sam’s Club. I purchased enough ingredients to make four cheeseburgers with french fries.
Day 138:
Grido ice cream
80
Coffee
80
Happy Hour @ Templo
155
Total:
315 ARS (4.06 USD) (RMB 28.5)
There wasn’t much to do in La Rioja with the one possibly interesting museum closed for Monday and the “nearby” national/provincial parks inaccessible without an expensive tour package or one’s own vehicle. This was the first time I had bad coffee in a cafe sitting, when otherwise it has always been a decent espresso.
Day 139:
Cab to terminal
85
Diet Coke
60
Bus to San Juan
1650
Luggage x2
20
Snack (crackers)
20
Hostel Destino (2 nights)
1000 + 3.09 USD
Coffee Merienda
100
Groceries (American goulash)
364
Total:
45.66 USD (RMB 320)
I managed to save some money by sharing a cab to the terminal in the morning before the interminably long ride to San Juan. The direct route passes by the aforementioned parks, but the bus driver preferred to take the un-scenic and longer route. To make up for all the walking, I booked a hostel literally 50 meters from San Juan’s bus terminal and took a good walk through the charming, relaxed provincial capital.
Day 140:
Museum of Natural Science
150
Coffee and alfajor
140
Vegetarian buffet
220
Beer and snacks
295
Total:
805 ARS (10.39 USD) (RMB 72.8)
There were actually things to do in San Juan (according to the tourist information office), but my timing wasn’t very good for some of the things I would have liked to see (Museum of Wine, Museum of Olive Oil, the art museum etc). The very expensive Museum of Natural Science was dedicated to dinosaur fossils, and I learned that the provincial park I skipped is the equivalent of Montana’s Badlands for paleontology.
Not the cheapest week with all the traveling around, but still bringing down the daily average.
It turned out that the problem with my computer was just the charger (both parts), but when I was in Tucuman, two of the shops pulled out compatible chargers to try with my computer to no avail. But, now it miraculous works with a new charger. Having been quoted 3-5,000 pesos to fix the computer, I was a bit shocked to find that a new OEM charger cost around 2,000 pesos, though I managed to save some money by finding a shop with one off-brand charger in stock.
Day 128:
Esperanto Hostel (2 nights)
1000
Mixed Wok set meal
355
La Birreria
100
Beers
200
Pizza
200
Total:
1955 ARS (24.81 USD) (RMB 172)
I wasn’t so impressed by my first hostel, so I moved a couple blocks away to another one.
Day 129:
Beer
100
Asado (Bife de Chorizo)
650
Taxi
100
Share of Dinner
400
Total:
1250 ARS (15.86 USD) (RMB 110)
I went with two Europeans up the hill (Cerro de San Bernadino) to enjoy the view of the city and climbed back down to try an asado lunch. I had it in my mind to order a Parrilla (mixed grill) for 2, but I got vetoed by someone who only wanted to eat steak before a fourth person joined us and I was eatin only a half portion of meat. Ironically, in the evening, I joined a group of Argentinians to go to “Pena,” which is a musical experience of traditional folk songs performed in a restaurant. We ended up ordering two parrillas (para dos) and I really got my meat fix this day. The restaurant (La Casona) is quite far out of the center of town and despite being considered touristy, was significantly cheaper than anywhere else in the city selling “regional food.” I was also impressed how people were still queued outside at 3am.
Day 130:
Breakfast at cafe
130
Airbnb (4 nights)
USD 51.26
Popcorn
10
Ice cream
90
Museum of Natural Science
50
Fanta
50
Patagonia Cervezaria
350
Total:
59.89 USD (RMB 415.2)
With only four hours of sleep, I had to drag myself out of bed to do a translation job, pack up, and check out before 10am. I decided to make a go of an Airbnb (private room in a shared house) for four nights, which while more expensive than the hostels I have been booking in Salta is about the same as a dorm bed in the fancier hostels (which cost upwards of 14 USD per night).
Day 131:
Chorizo
230
Vegetables
80
Bread
20
Beers
170
Laundry
305
Merienda — Bonny Parker
170
Baum Cervezeria
220
Total:
1195 ARS (15.16 USD) (RMB 105.1)
The Airbnb did not have a washing machine (at least one accessible to the guests) so I had to take my laundry to a laundromat. I bought a bunch of food at the municipal market to make a couple meals worth of choripans. Unfortunately, I discovered later that the last two avocados I have been carrying across five locations went bad, so my plans to make a guac were foiled. I’m starting to really enjoy the Desayuno/Merienda culture of cafes in Argentina with a variety of coffee + snack combos.
Day 132:
Free Walking tour
120
“Bollos” Bread
50
Helado
140
Beer and Cheese
240
Total:
550 ARS (6.98 USD) (RMB 48.4)
I’m starting to learn some of the basic terminology for bread in the bakeries, such as “casero” (homemade), “campo” (rustic), etc., but I mostly pick bread based on its size and shape for the purpose. The baguette type bread didn’t work so great for the choripans, so I tried a big and round but flattish bread to make a giant sausage “hamburger”. The rest of the bread went towards a “let’s finish everything off” pizza.
Day 133:
“Special” Breakfast
120
Empanadas and beer
400
Ice cream
110
Happy Hour beer
220
Movie popcorn
450
Total:
1300 ARS (16.50 USD) (RMB 114.4)
I ran out of coffee, so I got my morning fix from the ice cream/cafeteria on the corner. The breakfast was “special” because it included an orange juice on top of the coffee + 2 pastries (tortillas, in this case, which in Argentina are a layered biscuit). I tried Patio de la Empanadas for lunch, which supposedly has the best empanadas in town. Wasn’t impressed. Dinner was a lot of popcorn. As a fairly standard giveaway during happy hours, I enjoyed a basket before heading to the theater.
When I woke up, I discovered that the computer I had plugged in to charge overnight was completely drained of battery and unable to charge further. Several days of intense productivity, hanging out in the Cafe de Paris came to a close as I no longer had means to work. Even my daily Spanish study is intensely tied into my laptop. I crawled all over town looking for repair shops and got estimates of 1-3 weeks to complete repairs (because of generous time off for Carnaval).
Day 120:
Antares Brewery
300
Total:
300 ARS (3.81 USD) (RMB 26.6)
I discovered a whole new neighborhood full of swanky cafes and breweries. I think Antares is based in Mar del Plata, or somewhere on the Argentine coast.
Day 121:
Rotisserie Chicken
210
Ice Cream
110
Coffee
100
Burger and chips
370
Quilmes Beer
250
Total:
1040 ARS (13.20 USD) (RMB 92.3)
Unable to work in my daily haunt, I read the newspaper in Spanish. Also, back to real food.
Day 122:
Pen
35
Porter Brew House
550
Arab Empanadas
140
Total:
725 ARS (9.20 USD) (RMB 64.3)
Having nothing better to do in Tucuman, I tried to get a refund for checking out early, but was refused on the basis that I got such a special discount (something like 30 pesos a night). So I was stuck there another day and my pen disappeared, which is weird because I had bought a three pack in Cordoba. How could they all have been lost so fast? At least I discovered an excellent bar where I could actually sit at a bar and the bartender chatted with me through the duration of happy hour.
Day 123:
Bus to Tafi de Valle
500
Luggage
10
Nomade Hostel (1 night)
700
Artisenal beer (spicy)
120
Total:
1330 ARS (16.88 USD) (RMB 118)
I traveled up to a village in the mountains passing through at least three distinct ecosystems in the three hour drive. The chill farmhouse hostel included dinner (hamburgers completely made from scratch, e.g. even the buns) and breakfast. Tafi de Valle is very nice and worth a visit, though I had just missed out on the annual cheese festival the previous weekend.
Day 124:
Bus to Cafayate
450
Cielito Lindo Hostel (2 nights)
988
Wine – Ice cream
230
Wine, tomato, lentils
245
Pan casero
20
Total:
1933 ARS (USD 24.53) (RMB 171.5)
I traveled on to Cafayate, Argentina’s other major wine producing region (after Mendoza). Cafayate is most famous for its unique white wine, called Torrontes. Of course, I had to try a bottle and seeing literally everyone eating ice cream on my 12 minute, thirsty walk from the bus terminal to the hostel. Cafayate was supposed to be a site of a big carnaval celebration but there was literally nothing going on in the town on either the Monday or the Tuesday before Lent.
Day 125:
Nanni Bodega
100
Queso de Cabra
280
Bus to Salta (advance purchase)
435
Pan de campo
15
Bodega El Transito
50
Museum of Wine
100
Tortilla (street food)
60
Wine
150
Total:
1190 ARS (15.10 USD) (RMB 105.6)
I tried to fit a lot into my one full day in Cafayate, but barely managed to visit two bodegas, one goat farm, and the museum of vine and wine. If I wasn’t in a rush to hit Salta as soon as the holidays were over, I wouldn’t mind sticking around Cafayate for several days. It is small and relaxing and some of these bodegas are so cheap for the wine samples (compared to Mendoza!)
Day 126:
Luggage
10
La San Francisca II (2 nights)
890
Wine, crackers, olives
245
Salta Beer
60
Total:
1205 ARS (15.29 USD) (RMB 106.9)
I booked a hostel in Salta from the bus on the way. It turned out to be a quasi-legal establishment, but seemed chill enough that I went ahead and paid for a second night. With a block of goat cheese, I needed to buy somethings to accompany it and spend a lovely evening on the rooftop terrace of the hostel. Of course with the delay of coming in (our bus lost a wheel and we were stranded on the highway two hours), I wasn’t able to find a repair shop right away.
It is kind of crazy how I have dropped my daily average by a dollar and a half over two weeks. It costs so little to live in Argentina, especially in the north.
After nearly four weeks in Cordoba, I realized I wasn’t quite building the life I wanted for myself so when I found myself unable to extend my stay in that sweet ass apartment, it was time to move on.
Day 113:
Empanadas (4)
160
Total:
160 ARS (2.03 USD) (RMB 14.09)
A low cost day, especially as a friend bought me an ice cream (using a 2-for-1 coupon I had) in the late afternoon and I scrounged together a salad for dinner from the crisper drawer of farmer market vegetables. I took a pass on socializing at the bar.
Day 114:
Vegetarian buffet
80
Bus ticket to Tucuman
1850
Phone credit
300
“Happy Hour” Beer
120
Contribution towards beer
200
Total:
2550 ARS (32.36 USD) (RMB 226.3)
Valentine’s Day and nothing special happened.
Day 115:
Empanadas and chupas
300
Total:
300 ARS (3.81 USD) (RMB 26.6)
I had finished diligently finished all the food in the house and was only able to grab a bag full of empanadas from a bakery in the bus terminal before spending the next seven hours traveling up to Tucuman. By the time I checked in, I was too tired to eat dinner, but the 9 empanadas plus cheese-flavored dough balls did the trick in sating me (plus the bus fed us).
Day 116:
Hostel (8 nights)
3304
Osobuco, salad, apples, matches
261
Cafe doble
90
Total:
3655 ARS (46.38 USD) (RMB 324.3)
I booked two nights at the A La Gurdia Hostel in Tucuman to make sure there would be a bed for me when I arrived late at night, but otherwise I attempted to negotiate a lower price by staying longer. Hostel was surprisingly crowded considering there is literally nothing of interest to any tourists in the city and literally everyone in Argentina agrees it is the worst place in the world. I find Tucuman’s blue collar spirit charming and the intense late summer heat helped me focus on working again.
Day 117:
Razor blades
205
Ice cream
200
Coffee
100
Merienda
320
Total:
825 ARS (10.47 USD) (RMB 73.2)
I managed to find generic Gilette razor blades to fit my old fashioned razor, so no need to kick myself for not stocking up on those way, way back in China. Merienda (if I am spelling it correctly) is the Argetine tea time where one eats a light breakfast (same menu) so they don’t starve to death by waiting until 11 pm to eat dinner.
Day 118:
Tamales at market
110
Coffee
90
Printing
10
Beer
240
Wine
80
Panchuque
40
Total:
570 ARS (7.23 USD) (RMB 50.55)
I had to print, sign and scan a document for a copyright release for a Chinese publisher. Luckily the hostel had a scanner. I treated a French backpacker to a beer at happy hour before we cooked dinner together. We–I mean she–bought ingredients enough for 4-5 people but everyone else who had expressed interesting in eating together bailed. Furthermore, when she checked out the next day, I was left with about 5 portions of vegetable rich pasta…
Day 119:
Avocados
100
Beers
150
Movie — Parasite
200
Total:
450 ARS (5.71 USD) (RMB 39.9)
Bought giant avocados on a whim from street corner seller, hard as rocks and with the turn in weather taking forever to ripen. Given the cheap price of a movie ticket, I figured it was worth taking a shot on combining Korean audio with Spanish subtitles to watch the recent Oscar winner. Surprising how many people (especially middle aged women) were in the screening.
Not much to say other than went to another language meetup on the Thursday night (Cerveza & Espanol). The bar seemed more expensive than I remembered. It was also so hot and humid, I devoured much more beer than I was planning to.
Day 107:
Nueva Candela lunch
265
Coffee beans, cereal, milk
449.75
Dinner
513
Total:
1227.75 ARS (16.15 USD) (RMB 112.8)
After cooking for myself all week, I decided to go out for a nice set meal lunch. I was halfway through a suprema (breaded chicken breast) when I realized it was very pink inside. It didn’t make me sick, but I was currently developing a head cold.
Day 108:
Vegetables (celery, carrots, parsley, etc)
110
Black pepper
40
Whole chicken
270
Total:
420 ARS (5.53 USD) (RMB 38.6)
Decided to make a big batch of chicken soup to fight the cold and spent the day inside.
Day 109:
Ice cream
110
Coffee and waffles
250
Total:
360 ARS (4.74 USD) (RMB 33.1)
Continued to eat chicken soup, but went out for ice cream in the afternoon and then again to meet a friend at a cafe for a merienda (late afternoon snack).
Day 110:
Quiche, salad, lemonade
220
Rent
4200
Choripan
200
Tortillas, cheese, soda, candy
327.75
Total:
4947.75 ARS (62.79 USD) (RMB 438.7)
Went out for for a healthy lunch. As I was running low on cash, I needed to hit up Western Union (New exchange rate from today on is 78.8 pesos per dollar). Prepurchased some ingredients to make fajitas the next day.
Day 111:
Vegetables
210
More vegetables
50
Lemon and cilantro
30
Happy hour beers
410
Pitcher cocktail
280
Empanadas
120
Total:
1100 ARS (13.96 USD) (RMB 97.5)
I hit up the farmers market again for fresh ingredients to make vegetarian fajitas after a fairly quick (third) visit to the ophthalmology clicnic. In the evening, I checked out a new bar for another language meetup.
Day 112:
Contact lens
380
Discount drinks at supermarket
495
Steak lunch
630
Cheap headphones
190
Flipflops
300
Swimming pool
60
Popsicle
20
Beers at Mundolingo
350
Mojitos
350
Total:
2775 ARS (35.22 USD) (RMB 246.1)
Bought one additional contact lens from the same shop I had patronized before and was delighted to receive a discount of 20%. In my Airbnb, a couple bottles of Corona had been staring at me from the fridge. I finally succumbed to the temptation when the supermarket put Coronas on sale and I could replace them. A lot of my things have been breaking or wearing out so in a fit of “treat yo self” spending I replaced a few items before chilling at the public swimming pool and heading to the Mundo Lingo language meetup because I couldn’t be bothered to try to organize anything special for myself.
For these two weeks hanging out in Cordoba, I’ve been averaging about 22 dollars a day, which is slowly bringing down the total average for the trip.
Unfortunately for me there is a gelato place basically at the entrance of my apartment building, so the temptation is difficult to pass by. Keeping in contact with my original Airbnb host, I swung by the apartment (still under repair work) to check it out as a possible transfer later on. It paled in comparison to my current residence.
Day 100:
Cheese
125
Premade Salad
100
Rent (7 days)
4500
Beer and snacks
505
Total:
5230 ARS (68.82 USD) (RMB 480.6)
After a pretty busy week of socializing, once I settled into my Airbnb, I had a, let’s say, relaxing weekend of not talking to anyone. It didn’t help that the closest supermarket had potato chips and beer on sale.
Day 101:
Ice Cream
110
Temple bar
100
Craft (bar)
90
Beer and snacks
509
Empanadas (5)
225
Total:
1034 ARS (13.60 USD) (RMB 95)
Feeling a bit too cooped up in my comfortable apartment and sudden lack of motivation to accomplish anything productive, I did manage to drag myself outside for a brief jog followed by two happy hour pints at different neighborhood bars before resorting to junk food and watching TV in the evening.
Day 102:
Groceries
299.5
Veggies
130
Bar tip
30
HH Beers
170
Drinks
900
Total:
1529.5 ARS (20.12 USD) (RMB 140.5)
I made a simple, but meaty spaghetti sauce to finish off the half packages of pizza sauce and tomato puree that had been sitting in the fridge all week. in the late afternoon, I met up with a friend for a happy hour drink, which led to much more drinking, and me bailing to go home when everyone else was keen to party all night. Fernets are dangerous.
Day 103:
Premade salad
80
Pastry
55
Total:
135 ARS (1.78 USD) (RMB 12.4)
Adulting is hard, but sometimes one just has to suck it up. I had been feeling concerned about my teeth and messaged one of my new friends who happens to be a dentist. She managed to squeeze me into her schedule at the orthodontist clinic where she worked and didn’t charge me the 900 pesos it would have cost for a cleaning and checkup. Dinner was more spaghetti.
Day 104:
Vegetables
50
Eggs
100
Green onion and chilis
25
Red bell peppers
60
Ice cream
110
Total:
345 ARS (4.54 USD) (RMB 31.7)
So I was heading to a butcher shop to grab a steak to eat with the leftover salad for lunch and stumbled upon a weekly farmers market with a mind blowing array of vegetables. Normally, the greengrocers have a very limited selection of not so fresh fruits and vegetables. Suddenly inspired, I grabbed the ingredients to stir-fry up two Chinese dishes, which fed me the next three meals.
Day 105:
Eye Exam
800
Contact lenses
1000
Cookies
43
Personal recharge
110
HH Beers
260
More beer at Mundo Lingo
200
Fernet Mint Juleps
300
Total:
2713 ARS (35.70 USD) (RMB 249.3)
With my contacts once again way past due to exchange, I went out to source new ones at a half dozen different optical shops several days ago, but ultimately decided that I should actually be a grownup and get a new prescription. With the new prescription in hand, I headed straight to the shop with the best deal and bought new contacts. I can’t believe how expensive (10%) the kiosks in Cordoba are to recharge one’s phone credit, but after trying several, it was still worth putting the extra money in because the phone company was offering me three days worth of free internet for making a timely topup.
Ternera is veal, so I finally had a proper Kalbschnitzel in Argentina. Fiambre is a term for a platter of olives, salamis, cheeses, etc.
Day 93:
Bondiola
340
Sunblock & stuff
517.5
Food and wine
526.5
Beef
140
Beers
300
Veggies
270
Total:
2094 ARS (USD 27.55) (RMB 192.4)
One of my regular restaurants upped the price of their executive lunch overnight by about 30 pesos in a very visible demonstration of inflation at work (Bondiola is pork loin), but I should keep going there because the waiters really appreciate the fact that I tip 10%. For Chinese New Years, I was planning on doing something special, and I ultimately settled on making “dumplings,” i.e. empanadas from scratch (well with ready-to-use dough). It was a fairly successful cooking experiment, though I went to bed early. I just can’t go out all night on any of the new year’s eves.
Day 94:
Groceries
131
Smoothie
80
Beer
300
Musician tip
100
Total:
611 ARS (USD 8.04) (RMB 56.1)
I had so much extra empanada filling (both meat and cheese), that I decided to buy some extra ingredients to make tacos and pizzas. The leftover empanadas were nowhere near as delicious the second day. It was a nice sunny Saturday and since the hostel has a regular Saturday afternoon pool party, I spent the day sipping white wine from a melon and taking in some sun. After sobering up, I went out for drinks with a friend later in the evening.
Day 95:
Selina Hostel (2 nights)
18.57 USD
Coffee and pastries
183
Brunch
300
Beer
100
Ice and chips
190
Total:
28.74 USD (RMB 200.7)
I ended up having two breakfasts as I felt the urge to pop into a bakery/cafe for a spell on a lazy Sunday morning and later met up with a friend for brunch. I was supposed to be moving into an Airbnb this day, but I had discovered on Saturday night that the place I booked was no longer available because of plumbing issues. I booked two more nights in the hostel to give myself a chance to sort out a situation with a new Airbnb. I got a couple of the hostel guests to go out for a drink at a glorified kiosk with outside tables and some killer prices.
Day 96:
Pastry for breakfast
45
Vegetables (to make salad)
20
Maxx
170
Laundry
200
Dinner, for 2 with beer
685
Total:
1120 ARS (USD 14.74) (RMB 102.9)
I had been counting on getting into an Airbnb to do some laundry, but with a total lack of clean clothes, I had to spring for the ever more expensive laundry service (luckily a same day turnaround). Also, after living it up under the excuse of Chinese New Years, it was time to start shifting my eating habits into something healthier. The regional food (basically stew and empanadas) wasn’t much of an improvement, but delicious nonetheless.
Day 97:
Coffee and pastries
110
Airbnb (4 nights)
48.91 USD
Chorizos
110
Ice cream
135
Groceries
304
Total:
57.58 USD (RMB 402.1)
I finally made it into an Airbnb and did quite well considering how last minute everything was (and getting rejected from more than one listing due to unavailability). It’s not (supposed to be) a whole apartment to myself, so I just booked a couple of days to try it out, but the owner is currently on vacation, so I am getting the steal of a lifetime.
Day 98:
Veggies
45
Chicken breast
70
Groceries
359
Cookies
50
Gourmet coffee beans
500
HH Beer
80
Beers at Mundo Lingo
200
Fernet at Mundo Lingo
320
Total:
1624 ARS (21.37 USD) (RMB 149.2)
I did some rather elaborate shopping at proper market and some groceries stores to gather up the ingredients to make fajitas. I’m going to really enjoy having access to such a nice kitchen without having to share fridge space with 40 other people. Mundo Lingo, if I haven’t explained, is the language meetup, and I guess a lot of alcohol is needed to keep the social interactions fluid.
Some light housekeeping, Hostel World finally refunded the USD 5.4 deposit for the non-hostel in Punta del Diablo, Uruguay, but with my monthly credit card bill there was an extra 7.96 USD in foreign currency surcharges not previously accounted for.
